OpenAI Operator

What it is for

OpenAI Operator was a research-preview agent with its own cloud browser: you typed a task, it clicked and typed on a remote page, and it showed a step list beside the live site. Use this page when the job is the Operator product — not the ChatGPT chat composer.

July 17, 2025: Operator was folded into ChatGPT agent. operator.chatgpt.com is gone. Current Help now says ChatGPT agent is no longer available and points at ChatGPT Work plus cloud browser.

What makes it unique: the cover is OpenAI’s official Operator still — task bubble, step log, and a live Tripadvisor tab — not a title card.

Key features

• Own browser — the agent looked at pixels and used click / type / scroll (Introducing Operator).
• Task + step log — a prompt on the left, a live site on the right, and a “Worked for…” action list (cover).
• User confirmation — Operator paused before consequential actions (login, pay, send) (Introducing Operator).
• Takeover — you could interrupt and drive the remote browser yourself (Introducing Operator).
• Merged into ChatGPT agent — Operator’s browser became agent mode’s virtual computer (Introducing ChatGPT agent).
• Cited / screenshot output — agent replies included source links or screenshots (ChatGPT agent Help).

Who it's for

Best fit: people who want the historical Operator / ChatGPT-agent browser and already pay for ChatGPT Plus or Pro.

Poor fit: anyone who needs a self-hosted browser agent (Stagehand) or a living consumer AI browser (Perplexity Comet).

Pricing

Verified 2026-10-22 (Asia/Shanghai). Operator never had its own checkout. It sat on ChatGPT paid plans. chatgpt.com/pricing HTML still hides $; cite Help, then confirm at checkout.

• Plus — $20/month. Source: What is ChatGPT Plus?.
• Pro 100 — $100/month
• Pro 200 — $200/month
• Pro 500 — $500/month
• Source for Pro: About ChatGPT Pro tiers.
• Agent-era limits (historical Help) — Plus 40 agent messages/month; Pro 400 (ChatGPT agent). Help now says agent is gone; those caps applied while it existed.

Limitations / costs

• Standalone Operator is sunset. Do not expect operator.chatgpt.com to open.
• ChatGPT agent Help now says the mode is gone; the living path is ChatGPT Work / cloud browser.
• Never on Free. Operator started as a US Pro preview.
• It was a research preview and the launch post still warns it made mistakes.

Alternatives

• ChatGPT — the host assistant (Plus $20; Pro $100 / $200 / $500).
• OpenAI Deep Research — sourced multi-step reports inside ChatGPT.
• Perplexity Comet — a living AI browser with a sidebar assistant.

Official tutorial

Official OpenAI channel video: Introduction to Operator & Agents (oEmbed author: OpenAI).

Written path: Introducing Operator plus ChatGPT agent Help.

Website

https://openai.com/index/introducing-operator

Source

Catalog row curated for AI Tools Nav. Cover is OpenAI’s official Operator still (task + step log + Tripadvisor). Dollars from OpenAI Help (Plus $20; Pro $100 / $200 / $500). Tutorial: Introduction to Operator & Agents on @OpenAI.

Last verified

2026-10-22 (Asia/Shanghai) editorial check.